Tag: 8 Black Hands Podcast

I dream of a time when my kids or I can wake up without a care in the world. Imagine being able to learn or do everyday things without being judged by the color of your skin. The air these people breathe must be amazing. Unfortunately, I’ll never know.

Being a Public Figure.

It’s tough being a public figure. You have to mitigate what battles you want to take on and which ones are less advantageous. I’ve gone through times in which I’ve said nothing to “protect the bag,” as the kids would say. The older you get, the more your priorities shift. Sadly, I dream of a time when I don’t have a care in the world.

My Great Awakening.

You ever felt like your life meant nothing to others? Most wouldn’t know that feeling. African Americans make up only 13.4% of the total US population, but we know that feeling all too well. Moreover, the fact that my life is in constant danger because of the color of my skin is and will always be unsettling for me. I dream of a time when I don’t have a care in the world.

It Starts with Us.

Serious question to my white friends. Do you talk to your kids about racism? I mean, how not to be racists. Do you speak to them about the level of privilege that they are born with? You know that privilege that no matter how successful a person of color becomes, (they) will never know. I dream of a time when I don’t have a care in the world.

Real Conversations that lead to action.

We have a real problem with race in the US. Sweeping it under the rug isn’t a solution. The only way we begin to heal these wounds is by having tough conversations about race.

But beyond just conversations, liked tweets, and retweets, we need a National Call to Action.

Last night on the 8 Blackhands Podcast.

We had a fantastic show on which some awful yet honest things came to light.

1. People may be desensitized yo the deaths that occur to innocent black people.

2. White folks (some) still remain quiet and view this as not being their problem.

This episode was different. The fellas discuss the ongoing protests and offer their reactions and thoughts. This was our longest episode yet as the fellas let their thoughts breathe.
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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/8-black-hands-podcast/message

Today is MLK day. You are going to see tons of messages and post-humanist depictions of MLK, his words, and his speeches. But tomorrow, Tuesday the day after his birthday is celebrated, 99% of this MLK Day Energy will be lost.

My question is, and it’s an important one, how can we sustain and maintain this MLK Day Energy 365/24/7?

My Anxiety.

Usually, I am anxious when reading pieces about white self-reflection and introspection. Call me a skeptic, but sometimes I feel some white people have an inability to accept their guilt and acknowledge their privilege. So when I first contemplated reading this piece, Going Beyond MLK’s ‘Dream’ and Getting Uncomfortable in the Classroom, by Zachery Wright in ed post, I was very apprehensive. But after reading his article, I had a takeaway that I wanted to share.

MLK on Education.

Hell, I still have anxiety typing the words white people because of traumatic experiences I have either witnessed or encountered.

8 Black Hands Podcast.

Yesterday the crew and I @8BlackHands1 did a live podcast in New Orleans with the National Parents Union. The crew and I talked candidly during the show about people stepping up to the plate to aid and assist us in the education reform movement. It is no longer acceptable for folks to like a tweet here, send an encouraging DM there, etc.

Moreover, the fellas and I talked about Allies, co-conspirators, and white people making calculated efforts to lead this movement. Consequently, we posed a question on twitter that got some interesting responses. Lastly, the question that was asked was what is the next step in advocacy beyond being an ally and a co-conspirator?

The tweet turned into an engaging conversation in which people shared their thoughts about the next phase of support.

Moving Past Being Allies, & Co-Conspirators.

Based on the responses, we narrowed it down to the following:

1) Lead Dismantler

2) Defector

3) Unappologeticist

4) Preservationist

5) Disruptor

Survey.

We will put a survey up on the @8Blackhands1 twitter account and run it for 1-Day. Thank you for all that suggested this new way of activating agency. Because together we are unstoppable and living the Dream set forth by Dr. King. The importance of living in this reality is our ability to match this MLK Day Energy every day and not just that one Monday in January.